The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
by avoca
Summary: Heyes and Curry are in trouble again. Can Heyes come up with a plan to save both his partner and the amnesty?


49

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Title: The Devill and The Deep Blue Sea

Thanks to my Beta Lyn

Chapter One

Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry seemed right at home playing poker in the only saloon of the small but growing town of, 'Catfish Creek'. The two reformed out laws were eyeing the ongoing poker stakes. The three local players were good enough at the game to keep it interesting but bad enough so that Heyes and Curry were on a winning streak. What both the outlaws liked about this particular game was the way in which the losing players accepted their losses with good humour. Heyes and Curry had been in 'Catfish Creek' for a day and intended to spend another few days there. The town had the happy distinction of having a Sheriff whom neither of the boys knew. It was a growing town with plenty of building going on since the railroad had come and it had a reasonably good stage coach service too. All in all, it was a town that was easy to leave in a hurry, which appealed to the boys. It was surrounded by cattle country and the town had an air of good fortune about it. Heyes and Curry were relaxed, well at least as relaxed as two wanted men could be.

A cowboy entered the saloon and made straight for the bar. He looked around the noisy room as he drank his rot gut whisky. It was a busy saloon on a Friday night. He was deciding whether he could afford to take Louann, the prettiest saloon girl, up stairs or whether he might try his luck at a poker game. He concentrated on the ongoing game and recognized two of the players who played there regularly. His gaze strayed over the rest of the table and he turned away quickly as he spotted Heyes's dark hair. The cowboy gulped his whisky and took another look at the table. He was right; Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry were playing poker at the table. His first thought was how he could get the drop on them and his next one was how he'd spend the reward. Why they must be worth five or ten thousand each? That was more money than he'd seen in his whole life. The cowboy's name was Caleb Hennessey. He was about thirty, clean shaven with green eyes that always seemed to be looking in two directions at once. His hair was light brown and slicked into place. He was a most unremarkable young man, someone who caused no chance for a second glance and that's why Curry and Heyes dismissed him without a second glance.

Hennessey was working on a large ranch about three miles out of town. He wasn't cut out for the life of a working cow poke and he knew it. He watched the two men at the poker table and ordered a beer. His thoughts were chaotic. By the time he'd finished the beer he had thought it all out. He knew the foreman on the ranch where he worked was a smart fella by the name of Larry Rafferty and Caleb decided then and there to take his problem to him. It would mean splitting the reward but half of something was better than all of nothing and that was the way he reasoned it.

The poker game folded soon after Hennessey's departure. Heyes and Curry enjoyed a whisky nightcap together and returned to their hotel room in good spirits. Hennessey rode back to the ranch with his thoughts racing. He knew Rafferty was a clever man so he knew splitting the reward on Heyes and Curry made sense. The foreman's cabin was in darkness as Caleb rode in. He took care of his horse and then rapped on Rafferty's window. There was light in the bunkhouse, which meant some of the other cowpokes were still up. Hennessey would have to be quiet so as not to disturb them. The less people who knew about Heyes and Curry the better.

Hennessey had to rap a few more times to wake Rafferty. The foreman spat out, "All right, all right I'm coming and this better be urgent." The light went on in his small cabin and he opened the door in his not so white long johns.

"Hennessey, what the hell do you want?"

Hennessey stepped into the cabin uninvited.

"Larry, we've got to talk, I need your advice on something real serious." The words tumbled from Hennessey's mouth. Rafferty tried to interject but was stilled by a wave of Hennessy's hand. All the foreman could say was,"This better be real good." Hennessy continued on. "I've just seen Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry playing poker in the saloon."

Rafferty's shock registered in his grey eyes. Rafferty was older than Hennessy, up around his late forties and he was completely bald. He was an imposing man who stood over six feet tall. "You know these fellas, huh?" he asked Hennessy.

"Yeah, I know them. A few years back I was in a town they hurrahed. I'll never forget them. I was drinking in a saloon where they were playing poker and something happened at the table. One young cowpoke said that Heyes was cheating and Heyes tried to talk him down. I ain't ever heard a man talk so calm and when the cowpoke wouldn't back down he went for his gun and Heyes sat there calmly and Curry pulled his gun. I ain't never seen anyone that fast. Curry didn't shoot him, he didn't have to. The guy just got the money that was in front of him and left. After he'd gone, Heyes ordered drinks for everybody. Those boys were sure admired in the town. They'd rob a train or a bank and come down from 'Devil's Hole' and splash the money around 'till it was gone. No Sir! I'll never forget Heyes and Curry."

"All right, you've convinced me. What's the reward on them?"

"I don't know but I heard it was five thousand, maybe it's more now."

"Well tomorrow morning you find out what they're worth when we take a little trip into town."

"I just don't know how we're going to get the drop on them." hissed Hennessy.

"Leave the plannin' to me." And with that Rafferty pointed to the door and Hennessey left

. Hennessey tossed and turned in his bunk. He just couldn't get Heyes and Curry out of his mind. How much money were they worth? It was nigh on for first light by the time he finally settled. Rafferty, on the other hand sat up for an hour or more, slowly sipping a large glass of whisky, while he planned out his future, and for the first time in a very long while, it looked promising. Satisfied with his musings he downed the last of the whisky and went to bed.

Rafferty called Hennessy over at breakfast time while the rest of the cowpokes ate at the long trestle table, which stood in the center of the bunk house." Caleb, I need you to come to town with me." Rafferty ordered.

Within ten minutes the two cowboys were on their way to town. Rafferty had it all planned out and he filled Hennessey in on what he wanted him to do. Rafferty was, by nature, a silent type of man and Hennessey's chatter irritated him on the short ride. They parted ways as soon as the reached town; Hennessey headed to the Sheriff's office while Rafferty went calling on a friend of his, who just happened to work in Catfish Creek's one and only bank.

Forty minutes later the cowboys met in 'Jean's Restaurant'. It was one of only two eating establishments in the town and it was always pretty busy. They found a table at the back wall and ordered coffee, bacon and biscuits. Rafferty stilled Hennessey's talk when the middle- aged waitress brought their food to the table and once she had walked away, he asked

"Caleb, did you find out what the reward was on them?"

"Yes siree and I was discreet just like you told me. I chatted to old deputy Hailey and I got him talking about rewards and wanted posters. Why it wasn't more than a few minutes before he had a whole bunch of them posters out and we was looking through them. I couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted Heyes and Curry. They're worth ten thousand dollars a piece." Hennessey's voice had risen as he announced this to Rafferty, who at once silenced him with a look.

"We have to be careful, Caleb but you did real well." Rafferty took a large mouthful of coffee and waved his empty cup to the waitress for a refill. He remained silent until there was once more coffee in his cup. Hennessey waved the woman away impatiently when she went to refill his cup too.

Hennessey's eyes glowed with anticipation and he rubbed his hand up and down his thigh, smoothing out the creases in his denim pants as he moved. He stilled his hand when Rafferty began to talk.

"Let's get out of here and talk on the way back to the ranch." He gulped down his coffee and threw a dollar bill on the table. Both men walked out into the sunshine and made their way to where their horses were tethered and rode out of town.

Rafferty waited until they were they were clear of the town then began to speak.

"Caleb, we have a chance here to make a fortune."

"Yeah, twenty thousand dollars is a whole lot of money."

"Not twenty thousand" interjected Rafferty. "Nearer to seventy." He silenced Hennessey with a wave of his hand and carried on. "The bank got a new safe installed last week for a reason, a real good reason. There's a payroll coming in two days time and it's worth about fifty thousand dollars. Turns out there's a lot of railroad employees need paying and the railroad is buying up land all around the area and their lawyers need the ready cash to buy out landowners."

"But how are we going to get our hands on that money?" Hennessey interrupted.

"Caleb, Hannibal Heyes is the best safecracker there ever was." Seeing the blank look on his companion's face he hurried on. "We grab Curry then use him as leverage to get Heyes to rob the safe. After we get our hands on the money we kill both of them. You ride in and tell the sheriff how it's just come back to you who those two men playing poker in the saloon were and they'll send out a posse. We'll just happen to find the two dead outlaws and we'll tell everyone they were dead when we found them. The bank will figure that Heyes and Curry were killed by their own gang so we'll end up with the reward for them. We just sit quiet for a few weeks then we leave and start our new lives." Rafferty smiled at Hennessey.

"Hold on just a darn minute, I ain't ever killed anybody and I don't figure to start now." Hennessey reined in his horse and stopped.

Rafferty stopped beside him and turned in his saddle so that he was almost on top of Hennessey. "It ain't gonna work any other way. I've thought it all through. We can't get the drop on both of them but if we take Curry then from what I've heard of them two fellas there ain't no way Heyes won't open that safe and get the money. Just think of what we could do with seventy thousand dollars, Caleb?"

"Why do we have to kill them?"

"Well, we can't just turn them in after Heyes has robbed the safe and we can't let them go, because I don't want Kid Curry on my trail, do you?"

"No. But I can't see why we can't just get the reward for them, twenty thousand dollars is a lot of money, Larry, more than I've ever seen in my life?"

"Ten thousand dollars a piece might set us up, and if we were lucky it would last but just think of all that railroad money."

"Well why can't we just get Heyes to get the bank money then let him and Curry go?"

"I don't want Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry on my trail. .Be reasonable, Caleb. This is the only way to do it."

Hennessey thought about it for a few minutes, saying nothing, just looking into the distance. "How would we get the drop on them?" he asked tentatively.

"I have it all worked out. We watch them until we see a chance to grab Curry. They can't spend all their time together then we get that saloon gal, Luann, to take a message to Heyes telling him we have his partner. Heyes won't touch Luann because he'll be afraid we'll kill his partner. I'll meet up with him and show him Curry's gun just to prove we have him. We'll use Luann as the go between."

"But Luann could go to the sheriff and claim the reward on Heyes and Curry herself." "I don't think that pompous sheriff is going to take the word of a saloon gal and Luann will know that. No. She'll work out just fine. We'll promise her a thousand dollars and we'll give it to her." Rafferty waited for Hennessey's reaction.

Hennessey didn't say anything, as if he was weighting it all up. After a minute he spurred his horse on and Rafferty did the same. They rode in silence for a mile then Hennessey said "You have it all planned out, Larry, and forty five thousand is a lot of money. I could go to San Francisco or maybe New York, I ain't ever seen a big city, and with that kind of money I could live the high life. Maybe killing them two outlaws would be a public service, after all they're wanted 'dead or alive'."

Rafferty smiled. It was amazing how money could change a man's mind about almost anything. They rode on in silence. Hennessey made peace with himself and his future actions and Rafferty finalized his plans.

Chapter Two

"You know, Heyes I'm beginning to really like this town." Kid Curry turned a dazzling smile on his partner as the two of them sat on chairs on the verandah outside the hotel. Heyes was busily reading the local newspaper and not paying close attention to Curry so he just murmured his agreement. Life had been good to the ex-outlaws for the last few days. They had played a little poker, won a little money and eaten well at a clean little restaurant just down from their hotel. All in all, things were going well for them. This very fact should have alerted them to imminent danger but it didn't, for men on the run, they had grown a little too relaxed.

The day wore on and after a leisurely dinner they made their way to the saloon. They played some poker, rather successfully it has to be said, and Curry flirted with several of the saloon girls. Over the course of the evening Heyes found himself in a more serious poker game than any he had sat in on since his arrival in the town and he was enjoying the new challenge immensely. Curry eyed his partner with obvious fondness as he finished his beer and said "Joshua, think I'll call it a night. See you back at the hotel." He took his leave of the girls and left the saloon. Luann, a pretty brunette girl watched him leave with worried eyes.

Hennessey was watching the saloon. This was his second night doing so. He had positioned himself in an alley almost opposite to the entrance to the saloon that ran between the mercantile and a gun shop. It was a good place to hide as there were stacks of empty crates from both shops. Hennessey was well positioned behind a few empty crates and he had a perfect gap from which he could watch the saloon. The hotel was situated on the opposite side of the street from the saloon and Hennessey hoped Curry would cross over before he reached the alley. Hennessey spotted Curry as he left the saloon, and it was with a mixture of fear and excitement that he watched his prey cross the quiet street.

Hennessey stayed crouching behind the crates but picked up a long piece of a strong wooden fence post from beside him. He waited until Curry passed the entrance of the alley and then he quickly crept out of his hiding place and brought the wooden weapon down on the back of Curry's head. Curry made a small grunting sound and dropped like a stone to the ground. Hennessey looked all around him but the street was quiet and the only sounds came from the saloon. He pulled Curry back into the alley and bound his hands and feet with strong rope. He also used a stained bandana to gag the unconscious man.

Hennessey dragged Curry along the alley until he reached the far end, which opened up on to a deserted street. In the shadows a horse and wagon stood waiting. Hennessey grappled awkwardly with the unconscious man but succeeded in getting him into the bed of the truck. He threw an old tarpaulin over Curry, and then seating himself on the driver's bench, he urged the horse forward and left the town. He drove the wagon for six or seven miles during which time the moon rose and gave him some light. Hennessey knew the road well and fortunately for him he didn't meet anyone on it. Catfish Creek was a quiet town and it didn't surprise him that he was alone on the road. He listened intently but didn't hear any sound from Curry. He began to worry in case he had hit the outlaw too hard and had killed him. That wasn't in the plan at least, not this early in the plan. Hennessey felt beads of sweat on his back. He wasn't able to cope with all this secrecy and he just hoped that Rafferty's plan would work.

Hennessey turned off the road onto a rutted path that led to a small disused home. Hennessey's boss had bought this small spread a couple of years before when the last owners had been unable to make a go of cattle ranching. The land was used for grazing now but the house itself was left idle and had fallen into disrepair. Rafferty had though of it for hiding Curry and it appeared perfect for the job. Hennessey jumped from the wagon and secured the horse to the hitching post outside the small house. He stayed on the ground as he leaned over the side of the wagon and pulled the tarpaulin off his prisoner. Curry didn't stir but Hennessey's nervousness increased. This was Kid Curry he had lying in the wagon. Hennessey rounded the end of the wagon and jumped onto it. He moved slowly to Curry and kicked him with the toe of his boot but the prostrate man made no movement. Hennessey was nervous and it showed in his movements as he dragged Curry to the edge of the wagon then hefted his heavy frame over his shoulder. He struggled under the weight but made it to the house where he shifted Curry on to the floor with some haste. He untied Curry's legs removed his boots and retied the legs of the unconscious man. Curry moaned and Hennessey backed away from his prisoner. He gave a final glance at Curry and left the house after securing the front door, which was the only door in the building.

Chapter Three

Heyes was smiling as he left the saloon. He was two hundred dollars richer and he was beginning to really like 'Catfish Creek'. In fact it was just the kind of town he could see himself and Curry settling in when their amnesty came through. He hummed softly as he let himself into the room. He was surprised not to be greeted by his partner's snores and something alerted his senses. He reached for his gun and called '"Kid?" softly but there was no answer. He struck a match and gingerly lit the oil lamp on the dressing table. The room was empty. "What the hell have you got yourself into now, Kid?" Heyes addressed an empty room. He sat on the bed and rubbed his hand over his face. Kid was in some kind of trouble but what kind? Where the hell do you begin to look for a missing partner at one am? That was the question foremost on Heyes's mind. He slipped his gun back into his holster and left the room. The night porter was still snoring as he had been when Heyes had returned from the saloon. For a moment Heyes stopped at the desk but then shaking his head he left the hotel and searched the town. That wasn't hard to do as it wasn't a very large town. Within twenty minutes Heyes was back in his room, no wiser but more worried. He lay down on the bed fully dressed and spent the next few hours tossing and turning. Logically he knew he couldn't search for Kid until daybreak but that didn't make the waiting any easier. A few times he fell into a restless sleep but always he awoke anxious and keen to start searching for his friend.

The sun shining through his window woke him from one of those interludes and he immediately sat up, grabbed his hat from the bed post, poured some water into the ewer and splashed his face with the cold liquid. He was just about to leave the room when he heard a gentle tap on the door. He pulled his gun from its holster and took up his position opposite the door. "Come in" he called and the door opened. A pretty girl in her mid twenties stood in the doorway. Heyes recognized the brunette from the saloon. She looked nervous as she slipped into the room and closed the door behind her.

"I have a message for you." She eyed Heyes suspiciously.

Heyes studied the young woman. She was in her mid twenties with soft waves of mid brown hair falling over her shoulders. She looked young and fresh faced, and this in itself was unusual for a saloon girl. There was something appealing in her green eyes and Heyes forced himself to smile at her and this seemed to reassure her slightly.

"Your friend is with Larry Rafferty and Larry wants to meet you." She said the words in a rush.

"Where are they?" Heyes moved nearer to her as he spoke.

"I don't know, you have to come with me and we will meet Larry."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Larry said to tell you he isn't interested in the reward."

"What reward? What do you know about all this?" Heyes's voice rose.

"I don't know anything; I'm just delivering a message." She looked sadly at Heyes "I'm a saloon girl, you think Rafferty is going to trust me?"

Heyes saw the wisdom in the words and grabbed his hat as he followed the girl out of the room.

The girl led Heyes down the back stairs of the hotel and out into the alley that ran behind the building. Heyes didn't like the set up but he had to find out what had happened to Curry so he followed anxiously. Heyes caught up with the girl and walked beside her. "What's your name?" h asked quietly.

"Louann" she answered but kept walking. Heyes noted that they were keeping to the back alleys of the town, and within a few minutes, Louann stopped outside the back door of the saloon. She pulled it open and led the way into a store room. The hackles on Heyes's neck rose and he pulled his gun silently from its holster. The girl called out softly. "Larry?"

"Step over here, Louann." A man's voice filled the air.

Louann moved away from Heyes. Suddenly a very tall bald man emerged from the shadows and pushed the startled girl to the side of the room. He raised his revolver and pointed it at Heyes. "Now, Heyes, here's the deal if you want to see your partner alive." The man's voice was gruff. "First of all, slide your gun over here and do it very gently."

Heyes studied the man and then did as he had been bid.

"Louann, get his gun and put it on the crate over there."

The girl did as she was bid and placed the gun on a wooden crate in the corner of the room. Heyes's eyes never left the man's face. Heyes didn't say anything but his mind was in overdrive.

Heyes smiled coldly at the man. "I think you've made a mistake, Mister, it's a pretty reasonable thing to happen, I've been told that I bear a passing resemblance to that outlaw, Hannibal Heyes and by coincidence my partner looks a little like Kid Curry but I can assure you that if you hand us to the Sheriff you will become a laughing stock."

"Shut up, I know who you are and I'm not interested in handing you in. I got something better planned."

Against his better judgment Heyes was intrigued. Whatever this guy had planned for them had to be better than being handed over to the local Sheriff. At least this way there might be some angle he could use to get himself and his partner free but first of all he had to know that Curry was all right.

"Where's my partner?"

"I told you to shut up and I won't tell you again. I'm holding all the aces here, Heyes, so just you listen real good." Rafferty smiled, cleared his throat and carried on.

"There's a payroll due into the bank tomorrow. It's 50,000 dollars and I want you to get it for me. When you hand it over to me, I'll release Curry and you two just ride away. I'm only interested in the money."

"That's a mighty fine proposal, but what exactly do I get out of it?"

"Your partner's life."

"Partners aren't that hard to find" Heyes said in his best poker bluffing voice.

Rafferty laughed. "I thought you were supposed to have a silver tongue. It's a known fact how close you and your partner are, but if you're not interested in my deal then ride out of here. I won't stop you but you'll never see Curry alive again."

Heyes realized he had been called but he also knew it was a bluff that he hadn't expected to win. "All right, just suppose I'm interested in your proposition. There's a few details I need to know."

"I thought you'd see it my way."

"First of all I want to see my partner."

"Agreed."

"I need to know what type of safe they have in the bank."

"It's a Remington 500."

"A Remington 500?" Heyes's mind went into overdrive. Just last week he'd been reading about the new firm of safe makers who advertised that nothing could break into their safes. He remembered reading the article to Kid and they both had laughed about the idea of Heyes trying to crack one of them. Now it wasn't so funny. Rafferty's voice broke into his thoughts "Is that a problem?"

"No, no problem, I just like to know what I'll be working on."

"For a moment there I though you were going to tell me that the great 'Hannibal Heyes' couldn't crack open a Remington." Rafferty laughed at his own wit

Heyes smiled but his thoughts whirled wildly. On the positive side it wasn't a Booker but only last week, while reading through a newspaper he had read an advertisement aloud to Kid. It had been about a 'great new' safe that had been invented back East and Curry had joked about how it was lucky for Heyes that they were retired from that line of business. It was a Remington 500; was that what now sat in the bank in the town? What if he couldn't open it? And perhaps more importantly what if he did open it? Would he trade the amnesty for Kid's life? In a heartbeat but maybe he could come up with a plan and do both but right now he needed to find out if his partner was still alive and he needed to ensure Curry stayed that way.

"I can open the safe but I need to see my partner first or there's no deal." Heyes's eyes were cold as was his tone of voice.

Rafferty had already bargained for that and without taking his eyes off Heyes he spoke to the girl. "Louann, go outside and at the end of the alley there are three horses, wait there for us."

"I've done my part, Larry. I brought him to you."

"Shut up! You'll do as I say. Do you think anybody's going to miss a stinking whore? Now get outside."

The girl slunk against the wall but did as she had been told.

"Now, Heyes, here's what we're going to do. You follow Louann out and walk slowly and we're going to ride out of town and I'll take you to your partner." Rafferty pointed the gun at Heyes and followed him out into the alley.

Heyes did as he was told as he realized he would have to play along until he had seen Kid and maybe then he could come up with a plan.

Chapter Four

Heyes rode in front of Rafferty and Louann as they left the town and the riders stayed in this order as they rode further along the trail. After about two miles, Rafferty reined in his horse as did Heyes and Luann. Rafferty grabbed the reins from Heyes and passed a sweat stained bandana to Luann, instructing her to tie it over Heyes's eyes. Luann could not accomplish this task because Heyes was taller than her sitting in the saddle so he was instructed to dismount, and once this was done, the girl did as she had been told and helped Heyes to mount his horse again.

"Luann, you stay here while I take Heyes to see Curry. When we come back, you can return to town with him. You got that?"

The girl didn't look very impressed but she just nodded as she turned her horse towards a small group of trees and dismounted. Hennessey led Heyes's horse off but not in a straight line. Heyes knew the bald man was trying to disorientate him but the ex -outlaw tried to impress on his mind the position of the sun as he felt its heat against his right cheek, and later when they turned, he tried to inhale deeply to see if there was any particular scent that would help him find his way to Curry later, but it was all very confusing, and although he tried to keep track of time and distance in his mind, it proved difficult.

At last they came to a halt and Rafferty called out "Caleb, we're here."

Heyes was manhandled swiftly to the ground and the blindfold was removed. The intense sunshine blinded him for a moment but he squinted through the light and made out a farmhouse in the small clearing where they stood. Rafferty pointed his gun in the direction of the house and Heyes made his way towards it.

Heyes noticed the way Rafferty had called out to his associate, using his name and he realized that Rafferty had no intention of keeping his side of the deal. In fact Heyes was pretty sure that these men had already made up their minds to kill both him and Curry and that knowledge burned its way through Heyes's gut. Heyes and Curry had both seen too much death over the years and they had come to realize how much life was worth, even the lives of two outlaws like themselves. Neither man held with killing and that fact was the one reason why they both faced twenty years in jail rather than nooses.

A man came out of the house and Heyes took in his appearance; he was non- distinct but as Heyes neared him he realized the man was cross eyed and that it was somewhat disconcerting to watch him as his green eyes seemed to dance to their own rhythm.

Heyes broke the silence. "Where's my partner?"

Rafferty answered the question. "Stand where you are. Caleb, get Curry and bring him out."

The green eyed man turned and went back into the house. Within a minute Curry was pushed roughly out the door. Curry had to shuffle along as his stockinged feet were bound together and his hands were tied behind his back. He looked irked and Heyes knew his friend well enough to guess that Curry was mad for allowing himself to have been taken this way. They had become a little too complacent during their stay in Catfish Creek and they were paying the price now.

"You okay?" Heyes asked his partner.

"Just dandy" was the indignant reply. Curry looked up and made eye contact with his friend. "What exactly do they want? My captor was vague on the details."

Heyes smiled, Curry was playing for time and it was a good idea. Any insight gained into these men might help them find a solution. Heyes played along.

"Well it seems that the bank has taken delivery of a new safe; a Remington 500 and later today it takes delivery of fifty thousand dollars. All our friends here want us to do is to break into the safe, get the money and hand it over to them then they'll let you go and we can ride out of here." Heyes saw the look of disbelief that passed over Curry's face.

"Oh! Is that all? I thought they might want something really difficult." Curry's tone was mocking.

"My thoughts, exactly." Heyes exchanged a knowing glance with Curry.

The banter between the two men was brought to an abrupt halt. "Okay. Now you know what we want, how are you going to get it for us?" Caleb Hennessey spoke for the first time.

Rafferty answered him, without taking his eyes off Heyes. "Heyes is going to break into that safe tonight and he's going to meet up with me at the outskirts of the town then we'll come get Curry and it will be all over."

The plan sounded ludicrous to Heyes and he was pretty sure Curry felt the same way about it but they had no option but to play along.

Heyes felt a deep uneasiness grow in his gut. He needed to buy time so he could come up with a plan but more importantly he needed to ensure that Rafferty would keep Curry alive until the handover of money.

"I'll do it but here's a couple of things we've got to get straight."

Rafferty interrupted him. "You're in no position n to make demands. We'll meet you tomorrow morning at sun up in the clearing where we left Luann. You give us the money and we'll tell you where you can find Curry."

" That's not the way this is going to go down. You bring my partner to the clearing because if I don't see him there then I swear you'll never see a cent." Heyes's eyes burrowed into Rafferty's.

Rafferty thought quickly. He had intended to kill Curry as soon as possible but he knew that if he did, he wasn't going to get the money. He realized that somehow Heyes would make sure of that. He shrugged deciding a few more hours of life for Curry was not a major problem.

Heyes saw the other man shrug his shoulders and he released the breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

"Sunrise, at the clearing." He stared into the bald man's eyes then turned his head to look at his partner. "Looks like you get to spend another night with our friends here."

"Can't say much for the accommodation" Curry answered.

Hennessey, who hadn't said a word, motioned to Heyes and tied the bandana around his eyes. He helped Heyes on to his horse and led him from the clearing. Curry watched his partner leave. Rafferty pointed his gun at Curry. "Back inside, Curry." He motioned to the building with his drawn gun.

"Any chance of some water? A man could die of thirst around here" Curry asked Rafferty.

"I ain't freeing your hands for any reason and I ain't coming that near you so just move."

Curry stood where he was. "What about a piss? I could sure use one."

"Piss your pants for all I care but move before I shoot you."

"No need to get proddy." Curry shuffled towards the house. The ground he had to cover was pretty uneven and Curry's journey was made more difficult because of his bound hands and feet. He hobbled along, hissing, as sharp stones cut through his socks. He tried to gauge the distance between Rafferty and himself but the bald man was smart enough to stay well behind him.

Just as Curry reached the doorway, Rafferty moved forward quickly and landed a vicious kick into Curry's lower back, which sent him sprawling into the house. Curry landed heavily with his right shoulder taking most of his weight. For a moment he lay stunned but as he moved his bound legs to try and sit up Rafferty pushed his face into the earthen floor. Curry felt his right cheek scrape painfully against the dirt. Rafferty placed a knee against Curry's back and cocked his gun beside his left ear.

"Do that and I'll guarantee you'll never see the money" Curry gasped out. It was difficult to breathe with Rafferty's knee pushing into his upper back and the right side of his face grinding into the dirt but somehow he got the words out. Rafferty stood up, uncocking the gun as he moved. " Afraid I won't keep my end of the bargain, Curry?"

Curry rolled on to his back before he answered. "I think you'd want to be pretty stupid to break a deal with Hannibal Heyes." Curry stared at Rafferty. There was no sign of fear in his cobalt blue eyes. Looking into those eyes, Rafferty was glad that he held the upper hand.

"Crawl on your belly to the other side of the room, Curry and make it quick."

Curry tried to rise from the floor but Rafferty kicked him hard, catching him in his side and he collapsed. "I said crawl" Rafferty hissed as he lifted his boot and brought it down hard on Curry's hands where they lay bound behind his back. Curry groaned in pain but once again tried to rise. Rafferty was incensed and flicked the young outlaw on to his back by giving him several kicks to his side.

"I'm in charge. You hear that, Curry? Crawl! I said fucking crawl."

Curry lay gasping on his back. He couldn't seem to get any air into his lungs and pain radiated from his back and side. He felt dizzy and couldn't really make out Rafferty's words.

Rafferty grabbed Curry by the hair and yanked back his head so that he was forced to look the older man in the eye. Curry's eyes were glazed and he wanted desperately to close his eyes, which he did, and his chin fell to his chest. He felt himself being dragged by his shirtfront across the room and his head met the wooden wall with a jarring impact. Light exploded before his eyes and then everything went black.

Rafferty let go the front of Curry's shirt and literally tossed him head first against the back wall of the house. Curry lay still and Rafferty stood over the prone figure breathing heavily after his exertions. He wiped his hand over his mouth and fixed his hat more firmly on his head. He had kept his part of the bargain; Curry was alive. With that he gave his victim a kick in the stomach and walked out of the house. He bolted the door behind him, took a long drink from his water bottle, mounted his horse and left the clearing without a backward glance.

5

Hennessey made a silent travelling companion and no matter how hard Heyes tried he couldn't get him to talk. Eventually Hennessey reined in both his horse and Heyes's Hennessey pulled Heyes from his horse and Louann removed the bandanna from his eyes. "Luann, take him back to town." Hennessey mounted his own horse and turned away. "Aren't you afraid I might try to escape?" Heyes asked the man.

"Nope. Larry reckons you'll do what we want because of Curry." With those parting words he was gone.

Heyes turned his attention to Luann. Maybe he would have better luck with her. "How did you get involved with those two?"

"I'm a saloon girl with no prospects and Caleb has promised me a thousand dollars, does that answer your question?"

Heyes said "We all have choices, Luann."

The girl turned in the saddle, eyes blazing. "What do you know about me?"

"Nothing but I'd like to know about you."

"Mr Heyes, do you think I'm really that stupid? You care about your partner and you'll use me any way you can if it helps you get him back."

Heyes leaned over and grabbed Luann's reins. "Luann, I'll get my partner back with or without your help but Hennessey and Rafferty are scum and I want to give you a chance to get out of their scheme."

Luann studied Heyes. She had flinched when he had grabbed her reins but she realized he had no intention of hurting her.

"I have no choice. You have no idea what a thousand dollars means to me."

"What would five thousand dollars mean to you?" Heyes's eyes were intense.

"Where would I get money like that? And anyway Rafferty scares the hell out of me."

"I have a plan, and if we work together, we can bring Rafferty down and you'll get a reward from the bank. Ten per cent of fifty thousand dollars is five thousand and it's all for you. All I want is my partner."

"Sure! The bank is going to give a whore a reward." Luann's eyes hardened.

"We can make it that they'll have no choice but you'll have to trust me, Luann." Heyes's expression was fierce, and for a moment the girl wanted to do nothing more than that but she had seen the worst of men in her trade and it would take more than promises from a stranger to change her. The thought came to her mind that all she had from Rafferty was a promise and from what she'd seen of the man beside her it might just be more profitable to stick with him. She could hardly believe the words as they left her mouth. "What have I got to do?"

"First of all, tell me all you know about Rafferty." Heyes let go of her reins and both horses moved off.

"Do you want to know about Hennessey too?"

"No. Rafferty is the brains behind this."

"Well, there's not much to say. Larry was foreman at the 'Easy T' ranch when I came to town about a year ago. I don't know how long he's been working there but he's not from around here and he's very cagey about where he's from originally. He comes to town every week or two, drinks in the saloon, plays a little poker and takes me or Liza upstairs." The color rose in her cheeks as she said this.

Heyes sensed her unease. "Luann, I've done a lot of things in my life that I'm not real proud of but we all do what we have to, to get by. Me and Kid robbed banks and trains but we got into that line of work because we didn't see any other way and we just happened to be real good at it." He seemed to think for a moment but then went on. "We don't do that anymore, and if you get this reward, you can make a new start too."

"Is that what you're doing? Making a new start?"

"Yeah, that's what we're trying to do." They rode on in silence for a few minutes, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Luann was first to break the silence.

"There's one thing about Rafferty but I don't know if it will help."

"Tell me, I need to get to know as much as possible about the man."

"Well about three months ago he came back from a very successful cattle drive and he had obviously got a bonus because he came into the saloon and started drinking and living it up. Anyway he took me upstairs and I suppose the whisky must have loosened his tongue but he started talking about being lonely in this part of the country and how this wasn't the place he wanted to be. He muttered something about 'Monroe Gap' and how he hated living here but he couldn't go back there. That's all he said and the next morning he asked me what he'd said the night before but I knew that he was worried so I just told him that he was so drunk that I couldn't make out what he was talking about and that seemed to satisfy him."

Heyes laughed. "Luann, I could kiss you."

The girl blushed again.

"Do you know who runs the local paper?" Heyes was lit up.

"That'd be Mark Radley. He's a nice guy. He comes into the saloon sometimes and he's always very polite to me and the other girls."

'Catfish Creek' was coming into view. "We'd better split now, Mr Heyes, otherwise it might cause comments. What do you want me to do?"

"It's Heyes, Louann, just 'Heyes' and I'd be proud to be seen with such a pretty girl like you but you're right about not drawing attention to ourselves, so how about we meet up in the newspaper office in half an hour?"

"Thank you, M... Heyes. I'll see you there."

Heyes couldn't believe that it was only early afternoon. Some much had happened since morning. He wondered what were the chances of Kid freeing himself if he was left alone at that abandoned house. His own hands had been pretty tightly bound for his journey to see his partner but he felt sure that if he had had enough time he might have been able to free them, hopefully Curry would be able to do the same if he got the chance. Both of them were pretty skilled at escaping from ropes and bindings. Thinking of Curry caused Heyes to have an uneasy feeling about the treatment his friend might receive at the hands of Larry Rafferty. Heyes only hoped that the threat of not seeing the money might buy Curry his life and his wellbeing. Heyes had summed up Rafferty as the main man from the moment he met him. Hennessey was just a pack animal and would do anything he was told but Rafferty was a killer if ever he had seen one. Heyes was a good judge of men, it was one of the things that had made him a great gang leader, and he knew that Rafferty was a dangerous brute. Still, Heyes had a plan now, or at least the seed of one and that gave him something to fasten his thoughts and fears on.

Heyes opened the door of 'The Catfish Creek Inquirer' and stepped inside the office of the newspaper. He saw the large press, which took up most of the room, and one cluttered desk pushed under the big window at the front of the office. A man in his early thirties with fine blond hair sat at it. He was bent over a page of print and was squinting at it through a large magnifying glass. He looked up at Heyes and put the glass down on the desk. "Can I help you?" he brawled in a loud Texan accent.

Heyes smiled. "Actually I think I might be able to help you. You are Mark Radley?"

The man stood and held his hand out. Heyes took it and wasn't surprised to find his hand taken in a very firm handshake. "That's me but you have me at a disadvantage, sir. What may I ask is your name and business?"

"I'm Joshua Smith and I think you're going to very interested in a story I might be able to provide."

Radley beckoned Heyes to an empty chair at the desk and sat back down. Just then Luann entered the office. Radley and Heyes both stood up. Radley smiled at her. "Luann, darlin' I'm with someone right now but if you come back later we can talk."

"She's with me" Heyes said and moved aside so that Luann could sit on the only chair available in the small office.

Radley rubbed his hands together and beamed at them. "I'm intrigued."

Six

The first sensation Curry became aware of was pain. It radiated through his entire body. He opened his eyes and the intensity of the agony increased a thousand fold. He felt the world tilt and a sickening feeling rose from his stomach and burned a path up his parched throat. He closed his eyes and clamped his mouth shut. His head felt as if it would explode at any moment and he fought down the intense nausea that threatened to overtake him. He waited a minute and tried to open his eyes again and this time he was somewhat prepared for the feelings that overtook him. He waited until the world righted itself and then he tried to recall what had happened. It came to him suddenly, and simultaneously, he felt the constraint of the rope on his bound wrists. His wrists were numb and they were the only parts of his body that did not complain. He inched himself into a sitting position and couldn't believe how loud his breathing sounded in the deserted house. He was lying against the wall farthest from the door, and to his right at what would have been waist level if he was standing was a window. Incredibly the glass in the panes was intact and gave the only light in to the room. He tried to make out how much light was entering so that he could gauge what time of the day it was and how long he had been out.

It was difficult to ignore the agony in his head and body but he needed to think clearly, or at least as clearly as he could, and with this in mind, he concentrated on the window. It didn't take him long to realize that it must be late afternoon as the sun's rays were low in the sky and that meant he had been unconscious for hours. Rafferty had really done a number on him and he winced at the memory of the kicks. He began working on the tight bindings around his wrists. It was next to impossible to move his numb fingers but he did and little by little some feeling came back to his digits. Whoever had tied him had done a pretty good job, but with a little luck, something that seemed in short supply lately, he would be able to undo them. He needed to get back to town before his partner did something that might signify the end to their hoped - for amnesty.

He didn't know how long he had been working on the rope but it had to have been hours because the sun had sunk and the house was in almost total darkness before he felt them give way. His delight was short lived, because as the rope finally gave way, the blood rushed back into his wrists and the intensity of pins and needles caused him to yelp and brought tears to his eyes. He tried to massage his stiff fingers and was faintly surprised to feel how slippery the skin around his wrists was. He looked at them and in the gloom of the room, realized they were bloody from his exertions to free them. He sat quietly for a moment and then bent down to open the rope on his ankles. He was somewhat prepared for the sensations he felt as the blood rushed back into his numb feet.

He waited for about ten minutes before he tried to stand and it took him five attempts before he succeeded. At last when he was standing up, he leaned against the window and looked outside but it was too dark to make out anything but shapes. He heard a noise, and as he reached into the pocket of his pants, he realized he had left his matches in his saddle bag back in his room. He turned back to the room and waited while his eyes adjusted to the almost total darkness. That's when he felt something rub against his stocking feet. Something was actually nibbling at his skin. He bent down, shaking his feet as he moved and something scurried away from him. Rats, it had to have been a rat. The rat was the final spur he needed to get moving.

He clutched the walls of the room as he tried to make his way to where he believed the door was. It was difficult going; he walked into pieces of wood and abandoned furniture but at last he found the door. He tried turning the handle but it was locked, and obviously from the outside. For a moment he felt an overriding tiredness. He wanted to lie down and wait for Heyes to rescue him but that wasn't the way they worked so he forced himself to run his hands over the wooden door. It was sturdy and who knew what kind of lock was on the other side. His shoulder was hurting like hell vying with his head for the title of 'most painful' but the only way to test the door was to push against it. He turned sideways so that his left side would hit the door, and smashed against it as hard as he could but it didn't even budge a bit. For a moment, despair threatened to overtake him but he fought that as he fought the pain. Back in the home for waywards, he and Heyes had learned to escape from every conceivable place they had been locked into and he smiled as he remembered a serious sounding Heyes encouraging him to escape from a small, dark under stairs press that the young Jed Curry had been locked into as punishment for some trivial misdemeanour. As a gangly ten year old, Jed had been terrified by the darkness and the feeling of confinement of that small space but Heyes had crept back when the others had left and had stayed outside the door encouraging him for hours, until he had succeeded in breaking pieces of wood off the door and angling his skinny body through the space.

Curry spent the next ten minutes running his fingers over every inch of the wooden door but it was made up of one piece of solid oak and there was no way he could break bits off. He slid to the floor and saw pale shafts of moonlight coming through the window. At least the moon was up, and if he got out of here, it would help light his way back to town. The problem was getting out of here. The possibility of having to wait until Rafferty returned for him in the morning was becoming very real. Maybe he could arm himself with a piece of wood, lie in the position Rafferty had left him and then surprise the older man when he got the chance. Realistically, he realized he wasn't in very good physical shape to take his captor on and the other problem was that Rafferty might return with Hennessey and there was no way he could win up against the two of them. He had another problem. His bladder was making it self known. Earlier when he had asked Rafferty about relieving himself it had been a ploy but now he really did need to go. Curry was pretty fastidious normally but he had been in plenty of bad situations so he set about moving as far away from where he was and where he would have to lie to fool Rafferty, and using his hands and the moonlight to guide him, made his way to the back of the room. His sense of relief as he emptied his bladder was greater than his discomfort for a brief moment then his aches and pains made themselves known again and he moved over near the window and sat down.

He hadn't meant to doze but his body needed rest and soon he was asleep. Two rats made their way to where he lay and began to investigate the newest addition to the room. They honed in on his feet and began to gnaw through his socks. It was only when one of them got lucky and bit through his flesh that he felt the pain and woke up, instantly reaching down and scaring the rodents away. "Damn!" Another wound on his tired, aching body. Curry stood up, regretting the speed of his movements instantly. Rats, he hated rats but there was something else about rats, something his tired mind was trying to recall. "That was it! They had to be getting in to the house." Why hadn't he thought of it before? The rats had found a way in, and by default, a way out. Okay, he was far larger than a rat but still it gave him something to focus on. He moved along the wall, recalling that was the way they had scurried away from him. He hunkered down and began feeling every piece of wood just as he had earlier with the door. He cursed loudly as a sharp splinter of wood cut into his finger and he immediately drew his finger into his mouth and sucked on the bleeding wound, but within seconds, he was feeling his way along the wood again. Hi fingers found the hole, about twelve inches above floor level. He swung into action, grabbing at the gaps in the wood and pulling broken bits of wood away. His fingers scrambled for purchase as the wood cut into his fingers and his blood made the surfaces slippery but he kept on working. His right hand was not as effective as usual, as every time he moved it pain radiated from his shoulder. It crossed his mind, would he be able to hold his gun or fire it with any accuracy or speed but he dismissed the thought as he didn't even know where his gun was or indeed his boots. He didn't fancy walking to town in his stocking feet, indeed he didn't know how far from town he was being held. All he knew with any certainty was that he needed to get out of there if he had any chance of ensuring his partner wouldn't do something they would both come to regret. Curry cheered himself up with the thought that Heyes was probably executing a plan already.

Curry felt a rising sensation of excitement as the wood gave way under his fingers. He leaned back and kicked out with all his might at the crumbling wood and it began to give way. After another few minutes, Curry found himself sitting in front of a hole large enough for a man to crawl through and he did just that with every muscle in his body protesting.

He stopped crawling for a moment to catch his breath and found himself outside the building. He stood up gingerly and took a moment to gather his strength and his bearings.

The first thing was to try and find his gun and maybe his boots. With that in mind he moved around to the front of the house, and there, beside the door, lay his discarded boots. It was a small victory but Curry was not a man to dismiss such signs of fate. Grinning broadly, and for the first time since his capture, he eased himself down beside the door and pulled them on. The moonlight was bright enough to provide a backdrop to the old house and its surrounds. He looked around the yard and spotted a well. He made his way to it and was delighted that his luck seemed to be improving when he spotted the strong wooden bucket sitting beside the well. It was attached to a rope and he lowered the bucket and brought it up three quarters full. He placed the bucket on the ground and sat beside it. He cupped his hands and drank from them several times until the dryness in his mouth eased. He lay back against the bricks of the well and removed his bandana from around his neck. He wrung it out in the water and used it to wipe his head and face and then he rubbed his hands together in the cool liquid in the bucket. He stood up and was surprised when he had to grab on to the well to steady himself. Everything seemed to be spinning and he had no choice but to cling to the bricks and wait it out. After a few minutes, the world seemed to right itself, and he pulled the wet bandana around his neck and pushed off from the well. He had a walk of unknown length in front of him, so finding his bearings from where he remembered the sun had sunk when he saw it through the window he set off in what he hoped was the right direction.

Seven

Heyes stood gazing out his hotel room window. It was late now and the moon had risen and was giving a faint light to the sleeping town. Heyes had been watching the main street for hours, and in all that time, the Sheriff had not made one pass. It was a weekday night and Heyes assumed that that was the reason for the lack of security in the town. With fifty thousand dollars sitting in the bank it was difficult to believe that no extra security had been laid on. It would have been a dream situation if he had still been leader of the Devil's Hole Gang but he wasn't and this was a very dangerous situation for him and especially for his partner. Heyes left the window and made his way down the back stairs of the hotel. He passed out into the alley that ran behind the building, and as he did so, Louann emerged out of the shadows.

She was dressed in dark brown riding culottes and a dark jacket and her hair was tied up. She carried a carpet bag in her right hand and she looked nervous but smiled at Heyes. "I don't know how I let you talk me into this."

"You sound just like my partner."

"Maybe. But the only difference is Kid Curry can shoot and I've never fired a gun in my life."

"You won't need to. Come on." With that Heyes took her arm and steered her to the end of the alley. The two of them crossed Main Street and ducked down another alley that ran beside the bank. They stopped at the side door of the building and Heyes withdrew a small device from his boot. Within a few seconds he opened the door and they entered the bank. It was pitch dark inside all the blinds were pulled down stopping any moonlight from entering. Heyes lit a match, and keeping his hand around the flame, made his way to the back of the building. He spotted the imposing looking safe just as his match went out and he immediately lit another one. Louann stood where she was while Heyes lifted an oil lamp from a desk beside the safe, and placing it on the floor, lit the wick. "Louann, go stand beside the window and keep a look out without being seen."

"What about the light? Won't it be seen?" the girl asked as she moved to the window.

"Those blinds are pretty heavy, and anyway, there hasn't been anyone on Main Street in two hours. If you see anyone, tell me."

Heyes looked at the imposing door of the safe. 'Remington 500' was emblazoned in large gold letters on the metal. He felt a powerful surge of excitement; it had been a long time since he had felt that sensation and the only thing missing was his partner. How many banks had they broken into together? He had lost track but the familiar feeling of having his best friend beside him was missing. Heyes cracked his fingers and hunkered down in front of the safe.

Two hours later and Heyes still had one more number to crack. His level of concentration was amazing, and to be fair to Louann, she hadn't said a word in all that time; just held her position at the window. Heyes moved the tumbler a fraction to the left and he heard it; the magical 'click' that told him he had done it. He stood up, realizing how stiff he was and swung the heavy door open without a sound. The girl shifted at the window. "You did it. You actually did it." She sounded ecstatic.

"Come here." He motioned her over. She stood gazing at the open safe. There was money; more money than she had ever seen and on the floor of the safe was a canvas bag with 'Great Western Railway' written on it. Heyes picked up the bag and cut a small hole in the canvas. He ripped the bag open and pulled out stacks of neatly tied twenty dollar bills. Heyes did a quick calculation in his head and verified Rafferty's estimate. He stuffed the money into the carpet bag, swung the door of the safe closed, doused the light and relocked the door into the alley.

"Come on " Heyes said and led the girl from the alley. They kept to the shadows of the buildings on Main Street and within a minute, were standing outside the newspaper office. Luann looked around nervously as Heyes tapped lightly on the glass in the front door. A moment later a latch was drawn back and they entered the dark office of "The Catfish Creek Inquirer" Almost at once a light flared to life. "Won't that attract some attention?" Heyes asked Radley.

"No, Mr Smith, I often work late hours. The Sheriff knows that well." Radley poured whisky into three glasses and handed one to both Heyes and Luann. "What shall we drink to?" he asked.

"To 'The Catfish Creek Inquirer' and its intrepid editor who is about to break the biggest story this town has ever seen, and of course, to the gutsy young lady who is about to receive a very handsome reward for her troubles." Heyes raised his glass and Radley and Luann laughed. All three polished off the whisky in their glasses and Radley produced a battered leather bag. "I have what you asked for, Mr Smith." And reaching over to his desk, he drew forward bundles of neatly cut newspaper pages, all about the size of dollar bills. Heyes smiled. "I think we'd better get to work."

Neither Rafferty nor Hennessey slept well. They were both in Rafferty's small bunk house and had passed the evening in almost complete silence neither one saying anything more than they had to. Hennessey was wondering how he would be able to kill Heyes when the time came and Rafferty was thinking about the time he had shot a man. It was over five years ago and he rarely if ever thought about it but earlier that day when he had Curry at his mercy had brought the event back to his mind. He didn't feel remorseful; the truth was every man for himself. In fact all evening he had been thinking about how he might get rid of Hennessey and take all the money. After all it was his plan and Hennessey was a liability. But first he had to meet Heyes and get the money. He had it worked out. Hennessey would go forward into the clearing to meet Heyes and check the money then Rafferty would drag Curry out so that Heyes could see him. Rafferty would tell Heyes to drop his gun, and proving his own good will both he and Hennessey would throw their arms down. With any luck Heyes would comply then when all eyes were on the money and Curry, both Hennessey and Rafferty would draw their hidden weapons. Hennessey would shoot Heyes and Rafferty would shoot Curry in the back so the fast draw wouldn't have a chance.

The moon had risen high in the sky and the night was cold when Rafferty stood up from his bunk. Hennessey was lying in his bed roll on the floor beside him. "One more time, Caleb, you know what to do?"

"Yeah, Larry. I shoot Heyes and you shoot Curry. I have it. What about Luann?"

"What about her? I don't want her at the clearing. I don't think anybody would believe a dumb whore but we only needed her to get Heyes to come to us so she's done her job."

"I'll give her a thousand out of the reward."

"Yeah, you do that, Caleb." Rafferty put on his gun belt and his hat. He took another gun from the table and put it in the waistband of his pants behind his back. "You got to love the fact that Curry's gonna die by his own gun. You know it's a hell of a gun, I might just keep it." He moved to the door and turned to face Hennessey. "Have you got your second gun?"

"Right here." Hennessey lifted his bed roll to expose a colt lying on the floor.

"Think of it, Caleb, in a few hours, we'll be wealthy men." With that remark, he was gone.

Eight

Curry was making what he considered to be steady progress. At least he was putting one foot in front of another and moving at some kind of rate along the track to the town. So far he had only seen one rider pass his way and Curry had hidden in some trees just at the side of the track while the man had ridden by. It had been hard to get a clear look at the rider but Curry was pretty sure it hadn't been either Rafferty or Hennessey. Curry had had to rest several times but at least walking was keeping him relatively warm in the chill night.

Curry was keeping to the side of the track where it would be harder for him to be seen. He spotted a horse coming towards him. Squinting his eyes he was able to make out a lone rider leading a saddled horse behind him. It had to be Rafferty the man must be on his way to collect his prisoner. Curry shuffled down from the trail and hid behind some small bushes. He was torn between his desire to pull Rafferty from his horse and his need to stay hidden. He evaluated his choices quickly. He was pretty worn out and he was hurting badly so he didn't think much of his chances against the taller man. True, he had surprise on his side but realistically Curry doubted that he was in any condition to win a fight with Rafferty. He watched the rider approach with concern. He knew he would have to let the man pass, and hopefully, by the time Rafferty discovered that he had escaped, he would be at the town. It wasn't much of a plan but it was all he could think of. The horses cantered by and Curry recognized Rafferty. He had to fight down an impulse to drag the man from his horse but he did and Rafferty passed by.

Curry waited until Rafferty had passed from view and started to walk again. The few minutes of inactivity meant that he felt the cold as he eased his way out of the bushes. He had another dilemma he wasn't sure he could make it back to town before daybreak but he didn't know where the clearing was where the handover was to take place. He kept going over the details in his head as he walked. It wouldn't be long to sunrise now and his options seemed to be getting smaller with every passing minute. He cursed silently as he made out two horses approaching him. There was very little cover near the road and his body was protesting at the thought of having to shunt off the track again. He bent down, trying to make himself a less inconspicuous subject in the moonlight. He hoped for a moment that one of the riders was his partner but he quickly dismissed the thought as the riders neared. He forced himself to slide from the track and lay low beside the road, but before the riders reached him they turned off into a small track. Curry was intrigued, and rising from his hiding place followed them cautiously. The riders had slowed as they turned into what appeared to be a clearing and as Curry crept up behind them he heard them speak.

"Well, Luann Mr Smith is a very persuasive fellow isn't he? "

"He is that but I just wish it was all over. Larry Rafferty frightens me."

Curry made up his mind and moved out of the shadows. He could make out the girl's face as he approached and he recognized her as the pretty brunette from the saloon. How the hell had his partner gotten her involved and who was this other fella?

"Miss." Curry's words came out of the darkness. Both horses stopped and Curry heard the hammer of a gun being cocked. He walked forward and raised his hands in the air.

"I am sorry if I frightened you but I'm unarmed." He rushed on. "I'm Joshua Smith's partner, Thaddeus Jones."

"Stand where you are" the man's voice rang out.

Louann peered at Curry. "It's all right, Mr Radley, that's Mr Smith's friend, I've seen them together in the saloon."

Curry felt lightheaded with relief and stumbled for a moment. Louann jumped off her horse and was at his side in an instant. "Are you all right Mr Cur – Mr Jones?"

"Yes. I'm fine but I have to find my partner."

Radley dismounted and tied both of the horses to a tree. He studied Curry in the moonlight, and although he couldn't make out every detail, it was obvious that the man was in distress. I'm Mark Radley and Louann and I are going to meet up with your partner shortly."

"I take it that's part of his plan?"

"Here." Radley passed a silver flask to Curry. "You look like you could do with it.

"Thanks." Curry took the proffered flask and took a long drink. The whisky was fiery in his mouth but it warmed a path down his throat.

"Louann, you take Mr Jones over behind that ridge while I find a place to hide the horses and you can tell him what's going to happen."

Curry followed Luann to the side of the clearing and they climbed a small ridge. Curry looked out over the large rock they were hidden behind. He had a clear view of the whole clearing; at least it would be a clear view as soon as the sun rose. Ridley sidled in beside them. Curry returned the flask to him and Ridley took a sip before he returned it to his pocket. Luann studied Curry. The man's face was cut and grazed on the right side and he looked ashen. She wanted to reach out to him but she didn't know what to say. He sensed her gaze and turned to her. "It's not as bad as it looks." "I hope not." She returned his smile.

Curry sat with his back to the large rock and sighed. He was so tired that every movement was momentous. "Have you got a spare gun?" He addressed no one in particular but it was Luann who answered. "You might as well have this one, Hey – Mr Smith gave it to me but I've never fired a gun in my life and I have a feeling it would be better in your hands." She took a Colt out from her pocket and handed it to Curry.

He took the weapon and opened the chamber; it was loaded. "Did he give you any spare bullets?"

"Yes, but they're back in my saddle bag." She stood up but Radley patted her arm and said "I'll go get them."

Curry turned to him. "You wouldn't happen to have a rifle, would you?"

"As a matter of fact I do, but you turning up like this put its presence out of my head. I'll get it too."

Curry rubbed his fingers over his eyes and immediately regretted the movement. He lifted the Colt and felt his arm cramp as he took the weight. His hand actually shook but he forced himself to put the weapon down beside him and look at the young woman next to him." What was his plan?" he asked her.

Radley appeared beside them before she could answer. "It's nearly sunrise and I think there's a rider coming."

The three of them hid behind the rock and peered out cautiously. It was almost sunrise. Curry hoped the rider was his partner but it was hard to make out a shape in the gloom of pre- dawn.

"It's Caleb." Louann whispered.

Curry realized she was right as the rider dismounted, tied his horse to a tree and took off his hat to wipe his greased back hair. Curry heard another horse and a rider approached the clearing. It was Rafferty. He got off his horse and tied it beside Hennessey's. "Where's Curry?" Hennessey asked as he approached his partner in crime.

"The bastard escaped and there's no sign of him on the road."

Hennessey untied his horse. "That's it. He's probably with his partner and we'd better get out of here."

Rafferty grabbed him roughly by the jacket collar. "Don't be stupid. There's no way Curry could have reached Heyes, my bet is that Heyes will show up any second and we'll get the money."

Hennessey pushed Rafferty's hand away. "There's no way Heyes is going to hand over that money without seeing his partner."

"We'll just have to make him, won't we? Now get back in position and be ready to kill him when you get the chance."

"What about Curry?"

"He's half dead and I have his gun, what kind of a threat do you think he's going to be?" Rafferty walked off and took up his position just as the sounds of horses approaching were heard.

Behind his rock Curry had been unable to get a clear shot at either Rafferty or Hennessey, and maybe if his right arm wasn't hurting so much he would have been able to disarm both men but in his present condition that was impossible. He hadn't even had time to hear about Heyes's plan but knowing his partner as he did he thought he had better get into a better position to give some cover. He whispered to Louann "I'm going move nearer to Rafferty." Curry took the gun in his hand and winced as he felt its weight. Keeping low, he made his way to where Rafferty was hiding in the shadows. Heyes rode in, leading Curry's horse. He was hoping that Luann and Ridley were in place. The sun was just brightening the sky as he arrived. He noticed only two horses tied up and he felt bile rise to the back of his throat. Where was Kid?

Rafferty called out to him. Where's the money, Heyes?"

"Where's my partner?"

"First you show the money to Hennessey then I'll bring out your partner."

Heyes got off his horse and untied a dingy leather bag from his saddle, which he threw into the center of the clearing. Hennessey walked out and picked it up. He opened it and looked inside. "It's here, Larry."

In his hiding place, Curry felt sick. Heyes had broken into the safe and taken the money; he had to have faith that his partner had a way to return it. He couldn't risk making himself known had to wait until he had a clear shot at Rafferty and he just hoped that Radley could at least fire a rifle. He sighed at the number of things that could go wrong and smiled grimly; this so called plan had Heyes's name written all over it.

"Okay, you've got your money, now where's my partner?" Heyes's voice sounded calm.

"Throw down your gun before I bring him out." That was Curry's signal.

"That's not the way this is going to go down. Drop your gun, Rafferty." He boomed out. Heyes reached for his own gun as he rolled sideways away from Hennessey. Rafferty dropped his weapon and pointing from Curry made his way to the center of the clearing. Hennessey had retreated behind the tree where the horses were tied at the sound of Curry's voice and he waited, unsure of what to do next.

Heyes saw Rafferty advance into the clearing, closely followed by Curry. He stood up trying to find where Hennessey had hidden. "Hennessey, come out, it's all over now and you haven't killed anybody which is more than can be said for your partner." He called out.

Hennessey emerged from behind the tree with his hands in the air. The weight of the gun in Curry's hand was beginning to take its toll and he felt light headed as he made his way to the center of the clearing. Heyes kicked Hennessey's gun out of the way. Heyes looked at Rafferty. "Tell him about 'Monroe Gap' How you tried to rob a bank and how you killed the bank manager but didn't get any money."

Hennessey looked at Rafferty and began to babble. "We haven't killed anyone. Larry planned to kill you both and take the reward too, but it was his idea, not mine."

Just then Curry stumbled and he felt the gun slip from his grip. Rafferty ,seeing what was happening, grabbed the gun from the back of his pants and fired at Hennessey before he turned and trained it on Curry. A shot rang out and Rafferty fell to the ground, clutching his right hand. Curry lay where he had fallen and let the smoking gun slip from his grasp.

Heyes ran to Rafferty and picked up the gun he had dropped. The bald man lay groaning on the ground. "I should have shot Curry first then Hennessey" he moaned to no one in particular. Heyes ignored him and went to his partner. Curry was attempting to get up. Heyes leaned down and gave him a hand to help get him to his feet. It was only now that Heyes realized that his partner was hurt. Before he could say anything, Radley shouted out "Hennessey's dead." Heyes and Curry looked to where the dead man lay. Louann made her way into the clearing as Radley stood up from the body.

Heyes turned his attention back to Curry. "You look like hell."

"Yeah, well I feel worse than I look."

"What happened?"

"Rafferty decided to have a little fun after you left yesterday."

"Bastard!" Heyes said as he looked over to where Rafferty was sitting on a rock, nursing his injured hand, being guarded by Radley.

"You took the money." It was a statement, not a question. "I know I'll regret asking this but how do you plan on getting it back to the bank?"

"That's where Luann and I come in" Radley said, never taking his eyes off Rafferty.

"Radley here is the editor of the 'The Catfish Creek Inquirer' and he and Louann are going to return it and hand over Rafferty at the same time."

"What about you, Heyes? The law will be after you and Curry when I tell my story." Louann said in a worried voice.

"Oh, I don't think the authorities are going to be too interested in some fairy tale about Heyes and Curry when they have the murderer of the bank manager from 'Monroe Gap' and fifty thousand returned from the bank in 'Catfish Creek' In fact, Mr Smith and Mr Jones won't be involved at all." Radley smiled at Rafferty.

"How bad is it? Can you ride?" Heyes asked his partner as he helped him sit down on a boulder.

"Nothing's broken and I can ride" Curry answered with an assurance he didn't totally feel.

Heyes wasn't fooled for a minute, but in truth they had little choice but to ride out and leave 'Catfish Creek' far behind.

Heyes helped Radley load Hennessey's body onto his horse and he secured Rafferty on to his horse. Rafferty had grown quiet after Radley had told them his version of what would happen. Louann had stayed silent since Hennessey had been shot. She seemed to be in shock. Heyes took her aside. "Louann, I trust Radley and he'll make sure you get that reward. Just be sure to stick to the story we worked out. Remember how Hennessey got drunk and told you of Rafferty's plan to rob the bank and how you went to Radley because you knew he'd believe you?" Heyes stroked his hand gently down the side of her face. "Everybody is entitled to second chances, Luann." He leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

The kiss seemed to break her out of the shock. "Is that what you and your partner are after? A second chance, Heyes?"

"It's Smith and you're right we're banking on one."

She took his hand and brought it to her lips. "I hope you both get it because you're good men, Heyes and by the way you'll never be Smith to me."

Radley addressed Heyes. "I think we'd better get going and you should be too." He drew Heyes aside, out of earshot of Rafferty. "You are the first good bad man I've met, Mr Heyes, and I can't say I understand your motives but I am delighted to get such a good story. I don't want to know where you and Mr Curry are headed however, in his present condition, I would suggest the town of 'Small Haven' which is a day's ride away and which I know for a fact has a very good doctor."

"Thank you Mr Radley. I know you'll look after Louann."

"I can promise you that, now goodbye, Mr Smith."

Luann went to where Curry was sitting. "I never got to tell you Heyes's plan but I guess you figured it out for yourself. Take care." She returned to her horse and Heyes helped her into the saddle.

Radley set off, leading Rafferty with Louann coming up behind, leading the horse with Hennessey's body on it. Heyes turned his attention to his partner. "Are you ready to go?"

"No, but when did that ever make a difference?" Curry smiled and held his left hand out to his partner. Heyes clasped Curry's arm gently by the elbow and helped him stand up. Curry eased himself into the saddle and tucking his right hand into the gap between the buttons of his shirt he held his reins with his left hand and eased out of the clearing.

"Do you know where we're going?"

"Yep! " 'Small Haven', and with any luck, we might make it by nightfall."

The two riders left the clearing together, their horses falling into step beside each other.

"What was your plan, exactly? And how did you know about the murder in 'Monroe Gap?"

"You concentrate on staying on your horse and I'll tell you on the way, and I think it was one of my better plans." Heyes laughed.

Epilogue

The two riders moved off together; their horses falling into step. They moved at a constant pace side by side. Heyes began the story of his plan, and while he spoke, he kept a constant eye on his companion. Truth be known, he was worried about his partner. Curry looked pale and his right cheek was a mesh of bruises and small cuts. Heyes didn't like the way Curry was resting his right hand in his shirt opening but Heyes decided to do what he did best and talk. They moved steadily through the morning while Heyes filled Curry in what had happened during his captivity. Curry appeared to be listening as he asked one or two pertinent questions.

"Explain to me how you knew about Rafferty killing someone."

"I didn't know for sure but I just felt Rafferty was dangerous and then when Luann told me about him being mysterious about where he came from and letting slip something about 'Monroe Gap'. Well, all it took was for me to ask Radley to make some inquiries from the local newspaper there. Radley told me that someone fitting Rafferty's description had tried to break into a bank at night but unfortunately the bank manager was still there and Rafferty, or White as he was known then, had shot the man and left empty-handed. The bank manager was found the next morning barely alive but he was able to name White as his killer before he died. White left town, changed his name, and ended up in 'Catfish Creek'."

"How did you persuade Radley to run with your plan and or for that matter what about Louann?"

Heyes was pleased. If Kid could muster enough interest to ask questions then maybe he wasn't as badly hurt as he'd feared.

"Louann was easy enough to persuade. She was afraid of Rafferty and she hated working in the saloon. She's from Kansas originally and ended up in 'Catfish Creek' when the owner of the medicine show she had been working on died suddenly. The town council confiscated the medicine show business and Luann found herself with no job and no money so she started working in the saloon and even sending money back home to help her mother and sisters. Her family had no idea she was working as a saloon girl so all I had to do to persuade her to help was to get Radley to guarantee that he would make sure she got a reward for returning the money." Heyes looked at Curry and he wasn't sure if his friend was concentrating on the story or on staying in the saddle. Either way Heyes decided to carry on.

"Radley is a typical small town newspaper man. He's originally from Texas but decided he wanted to run a newspaper so, from what I can gather, his father set him up and Radley has been trying to prove himself ever since. Getting the scoop on Rafferty and the robbery is just what he was looking for. So you see, it all worked out."

"You hope it's all worked out" Curry muttered.

"What do you mean, Kid?"

"Well, we rode off so we don't know if the money is going to be returned."

"You've got to have faith, Kid."

They rode on in silence. After a while Heyes asked Curry if he would like to stop for a rest and was disconcerted when his partner declined stating it might be better if they kept going.

A couple of hours later they reached the town of 'Small Haven'. Radley was right; it was exactly what they were looking for as a refuge. It had a part time sheriff, a clean hotel and a good doctor. Doctor Reynolds examined Curry and reassured Heyes that nothing was broken, he was just bruised and his right shoulder, though painful, was only wrenched and would heal with time and rest.

Four days later as Heyes sat reading some book he had picked up in the general store, and Currry lay resting on the bed, propped up against three pillows and attempting to clean his gun with his left hand, there was a knock at their door.

Curry grimaced as he cocked his Colt and Heyes opened the door gingerly to find the hotel clerk holding a large envelope. "This is for you ,Mr Smith. It just arrived by Pony Express."

Heyes took the envelope and then pushed a few coins into the man's hand and closed the door. "Who knows we're here?" Curry asked as he stood up from the bed.

"Nobody" Heyes answered as he tore open the envelope. He pulled a copy of 'The Catfish Creek Inquirer' from inside it. He searched the envelope but there was no letter just the paper. Curry squinted over Heyes's shoulder as they read the headline.

"Local woman and Editor foil Major Bank Robbery."

A few minutes later Heyes put the paper down on the table and looked at his partner. "Well Luann got her reward and she's on her way back to her family, Radley got his story and it looks like Rafferty is going to hang and best of all there's no mention of Hannibal Heyes or Kid Curry."

Curry picked up his hat. "Come on, let's eat, good news always makes me hungry."

"Everything makes you hungry" laughed Heyes.

"By the way, you never did tell me how you opened that 'Remington 5oo" Curry added,and they left their hotel room together.


End file.
